The conference is expected to attract 400 delegates when it is held in Australia for the first time next year.
The meeting brings together those working in fields associated with microarray patch technology, which enables vaccines and other drugs to be administered via a skin patch. The technology has the potential to help the world deal with future pandemics.
Brisbane’s successful bid for the conference was led by Associate Professor David Muller and Professor Paul Young, both from the University of Queensland. BCEC collaborated with the two professors on the bid, which also had support from Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA) and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ).
Brisbane biotech company Vaxxas, which was founded from UQ research, will be a presenting partner for the conference.
“Vaxxas’ technology is being developed in Brisbane with support from leading global organisations such as the World Health Organisation and the Gates Foundation, so it’s exciting to be bringing the sector’s global event to our city,” said Associate Professor Muller.
Professor Young credits the company with playing an influential role in the development of microarray patch technology.
“We’ve had over 170 years of using a needle and syringe to deliver drugs and vaccines and no real advance on that until quite recently,” he said.
“In the last 15 years we have seen incredible development in the delivery component of vaccines through patch technology that makes them more efficient and accessible.
“Because of this, we thought it appropriate for this conference to come to Brisbane as a reflection of the city’s global leadership role in the sector and Vaxxas’ leadership in patch technology.
“The conference offers the opportunity to bring global leaders in vaccine delivery here to Brisbane and showcase where we are heading with this technology.”
BCEC’s general manager, Kym Guesdon, said conferences such as Microneedles 2025 can have huge impact.
“Conferences are a key vehicle for the transfer of knowledge and international collaboration between some of the world’s greatest thinkers and doers, which can be life changing for our communities,” she said.
